


That Last Shot

by atrilial



Series: Lilly Shepard [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, FemShep - Freeform, Shakarian - Freeform, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-04
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 10:48:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atrilial/pseuds/atrilial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lilly Shepard and Garrus finally jump into the dangerous waters of interspeices awkwardness before taking the Omega 4 Relay to an uncertain fate.  (basically I hate summaries)</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Last Shot

Lilly sighed as she let the steaming shower water ease her tension away. In just a few hours, all of her’ preparations would be put to the ultimate test. Whether anyone came back from this crazy suicide mission or not, all rested on how well she could lead and guide this strangely diverse team.

There was no sense dwelling on this anymore. They were committed now, and whatever was going to happen, would happen. Now she just needed to make the most of what could be the last of her time.

Garrus...

He said he would come up and join her soon. Lilly felt impossibly nervous. For all of Mordin’s advice, she still wasn’t really sure whether it would even work. But this was Garrus, after all, her best friend. They’d manage somehow. They always did.

After throwing on a clean uniform, she stepped out of the bathroom and nearly jumped out of her skin, when she noticed Garrus standing right outside the door. He looked immensely uncertain, holding a bottle so tightly in his talons, she was surprised it didn’t crack under the strain. She grinned at him. He looked good in civvies. Even if the colors were a little off.  
“Hey. I brought wine. Best I could afford on a vigilante’s salary.” He seemed to consider for a moment, then remember what to do next. Apparently he had a plan. How long had he spent coming up with it? Garrus strode over to the side of her model ship display case, where a setting panel glowed faintly. With a couple selections, Flux music filled the room. And just like that, all her nervousness was gone. This was so ridiculous, and he was such a sweetheart, and she could barely keep herself from laughing. But apparently he wasn’t done. He turned to face her and started babbling. “If you were a turian, I’d be complimenting your waist or your fringe. So...your, uh, hair looks good. And your waist is...very supportive. Hopefully that’s not offensive in human culture. Crap. I knew I should have watched the vids. Throw me a line here, Shepard.” 

She chuckled, stepping forward to rescue him.

“Whoa! Consider me seduced, smooth talker.” She trailed a finger teasingly up his chest, before stepping away to turn off that horrendous music before she lost control of herself and collapsed in hysterical laughter. “Now shut up and stop worrying.”

He sighed, looking down, trying to gather himself as she walked back over to him.

“I...I just...I’ve seen so many things go wrong, Shepard,” he explained quietly, and her heart ached for him. “My work at C-Sec, what happened with Sidonis. I want something to go right. Just once. Just...” Wanting desperately to comfort him, Lilly reached her hand up to gently caress the scarred side of his face. He leaned into it and her heart sped up just a little. She’d been so terrified of losing him that day.

She vaguely remembered something she’d read in those pamphlets of Mordin’s, something about putting your foreheads together being a thing of intimacy for turians. Well, that wasn’t really so very different from humans either. That was as good a place to start as any. She moved closer to him and he seemed to instinctually mirror her actions.

There was something almost painfully sweet about this, simply standing here next to each other, her forehead against his, sharing the same air. It seemed to calm him too. After a moment he reached out a hand and rubbed it gently down her arm, making her heart stutter in a strange way.

“Its us...” she whispered, not wanting to shatter this tender moment, “of course it will go right. No matter what happens, if it’s you and me, then it’s right.” He seemed to like that, and grinned.

“I guess after all the other impossible things we’ve accomplished, this should be fairly simple,” he laughed softly, pulling back to look at her. His gaze was curious. “So, where do we start?”

Smiling , she gesture toward the bottle still clutched vice-like in his hand. “Well, you did bring wine. We could start with that.”

He looked down at the bottle as if just remembering it was there, before chuckling lightly. “I warn you: this stuff is probably pretty awful. It was about the cheapest I could find.”

“I’m a marine,” she grinned, a challenge in her eye. “I’m sure I’ve choked down worse swill than this.”

That made him laugh outright, and he looked much more relaxed.

“I’m game if you are, but I take no responsibility if this night just ends with us passed out on the floor in a pool of our own vomit.”

She blanched at the image, making a humorously disgusted face. “Now _that’s_ romantic.”

He shrugged playfully. “What can I say. I’m a charmer.”

Chuckling, she stepped down into the lower section of her room, making her way over toward the table. Snatching up the glasses, she turned back to face him. He’d followed her down and presented his offering to her with amusement. Expertly, she opened the bottle and poured them each a glass. Handing his to him, she paused thoughtfully.

“We should have a toast!” she announced. He considered this for a moment before lifting his glass to hers.

_“There once was the love of a beautiful maid_  
And the love of a staunch, true man  
And the love of a baby, unafraid  
All have existed since time began.  
But the eternal love  
The love of all loves  
Even greater than love for mother  
Is the infinite, passionate, tender love  
Of one drunken Marine for another.” 

She gaped at him, certain she must look like a fish, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. He seemed quite proud of himself as he looked at her dumbfounded face. Clinking his glass to hers, he knocked it back like it was hard liquor. Following his lead, she did the same, still trying to wrap her mind around what just happened.

“Where...how...how did you learn that?” she asked in amazement. That toast was centuries old. She hadn’t heard it since a dining-in nearly a decade ago.

“Research,” he said mysteriously, smirking.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” She stuck her tongue out at him, childishly. Confusion crossed his face at the odd human gesture. “Sticking your tongue out at someone is pretty much just a childish way of saying ‘yeah, whatever you say’,” she explained.

“Ah.”

“You were right though,” she said, looking at the bottle he’d handed her. “This stuff is pretty bad. Not the worst I’ve had, but definitely on the list.” She filled her glass again. “More?”

He laughed. “Why the hell not.” Again, they both knocked theirs back, then she set the bottle and her glass down on the table. He let her put his glass beside hers, a contemplative look on his face.

“So...is this the part where we figure out exactly just how weird each other’s anatomy is? Because I warn you, a turian in all his glory might be more than you can handle,” he said, obviously trying to sound more confident than he was. She laughed, playing along.

“I dunno, Vakarian. Humans are pretty weird. All squishy and soft. You might run screaming first.”

That seemed to help. Humor made them both more comfortable, so Lilly was determined to make sure they didn’t slipped too much into the realm of serious and weighty. That could come later, but not now. With a great deal more real cockiness, he leered at her playfully.

“Turians don’t know how to run away.” Leaning back with his arms crossed, he pretended to study her. “You first,” he waved at her, as if giving her permission. “And don’t worry, I promise not to faint.”

She snorted, but set about taking off her uniform. This part wasn’t too difficult for her. As a marine, she’d spent far too much time naked around far too many people to be self conscious of her body now. Garrus was quiet as she worked her top off, throwing it on the couch, her bra following shortly thereafter. Figuring this was enough for now, she looked up to study his expression. He looked curious, but that was about it.

“You can touch me, you know,” she encouraged him, and he looked up at her, as if surprised to hear her voice.

“You sure?” He asked gently. She nodded, and he stepped closer to her, reaching his hand out to trail down her bare arm. She shivered at the feather touch of his talons on her skin. He paused, not sure whether that was good or not and almost pulled back, but she smiled at him, encouraging him, so he pressed on. His hand moved to her stomach, gently tracing lines in between her abs, then he moved it slowly up, to hover just over her breast. He paused again, and she held her breath in anticipation. After a moment he gently reached out and cupped one, and her breath hitched slightly. He studied her face, but - deciding that was a good sound - continued his exploration, carefully brushing a talon over her quickly budding nipple. That made her gasp and before she could stop herself, she was leaning into his hand.

“You sure you haven’t done this before, Garrus?” she asked breathlessly. He chuckled softly and, feeling more confident, reach his other hand out to fondle her as yet neglected breast. They stayed like that for a while, him content to explore, and her content to let him. But after a few minutes, she got impatient. Taking his hands in hers, she smiled mischievously at him. “Your turn.”

She watched curiously as he divested himself. Without waiting for encouragement, she reached forward and began her own explorations. His carapace was covered in the same tough plates that covered his head, but aside from a couple plates on his shoulders, elbows and knuckles, his corded arms were covered with the soft, leathery skin of his neck. She could find that same softer skin in between several of the plates of his carapace as well. Right down the middle of his chest was a pointed ridge, a keel bone - if she recalled the technical term correctly - and she idly wondered how they’d get around that during sex. But that was something to figure out later. For now, she set about letting her questing fingers discover the softer and, she quickly learned if his soft hiss was any indication, more sensitive skin. His cowl was also covered in the hard, metallic skin, and she curiously ran her hands up it and around his neck. She smiled up at him and the deer-in-the-headlights look he’d had plastered on his face as she explored him melted away.

“So...I take the lack of screaming in horror is a good sign?” he chuckled, the nervousness still present in his voice.

“You’re fascinating,” she said earnestly. He snorted at that.

“Fascinating, she says. Like I’m a specimen in a lab.” But some of the tension seemed to ease out of him. He tenderly and curiously ran his talons through her auburn hair. “It’s so soft,” he whispered in wonder, letting it slide between his fingers. He continued combing delicately through her hair, and she let her eyes slide closed, resting her head against his chest. That’s when she noticed a strange, soothing rumbling sound going through her. Focusing on it, she realized it was emanating from his chest, almost like a cat’s purr. She had to bite down on her lip to keep from giggling. This was a pleasant surprise.

After a few minutes, she jerked as she caught herself starting to nod off. Laughing, she pulled back. “Keep that up, and I’m going to fall asleep.”

There was such a tender look on his face that her heart twisted painfully in her chest. Struggling to catch her breath, she stepped out of his arms. Collecting herself, she set about removing her last bits of clothing. Bare as the day she was born, she made her way over to sit on the bed, beckoning him to follow her lead. His fingers seemed to shake a little as he removed the last of his garments, but he managed well enough. She tilted her head curiously. Huh. Well she hadn’t been expecting _that_. Maybe she should have done more research of her own.

His legs were similar to his arms, corded muscle with plates over his knees and spurs. The part that confused her was that the plates on his carapace continued down to cover his entire...lower region. The only thing there was a slit between the plates. She knew he had all the necessary parts. She’d stumbled across enough Fornax magazines to be sure of that, so it must just be hiding. This could be interesting...

Apparently she’d stared too long, because Garrus shifted uncomfortably. Snapping herself back to the task at hand, she patted the bed beside her. He looked uncertain, but sat anyway. At which point, Lilly ran out of ideas. She hadn’t really planned this far ahead. They sat there awkwardly next to one another, the silence growing with every passing second. _Think, Lilly, think. Damn, why didn’t I look at those stupid vids Mordin sent me._

She almost jumped in shock when the silence was broken with a deep, quiet laugh. She turned to look at Garrus as his laughter grew louder, and she couldn’t help it. His mirth was contagious. Soon they both dissolved into silly hysterics, and Lilly clutched at the stitch in her side as she tried to get herself back under control.

“Look at us,” Garrus laughed, “you’d think we were in puberty. A couple confused virgin kids with no idea what the hell they’re doing.”

“Well, to be fair...” she gasped out, “we don’t.”

He shrugged, his humor having calmed to a quiet chuckle. “It can’t be all that different. The same essential parts are involved.”

Snorting again, bringing herself slowly under control, she eyed him with a raised brow. “How do you manage to make everything sound so...textbook? It’s not like you’re even a scientist or anything.”

He shrugged again, and she wondered when he’d become such a fan of that human gesture. “Must be the techie in me.”

She nodded, then began chewing on her lip in thought.

“So, where would you normally go from here? How do turians get...in the mood?”

“Hmmm...well. Here,” he grabbed her hand and placed it at his waist. “Our waists are really sensitive, especially between the plates. Necks too.” She grinned, trailing her finger over the exposed skin and delighting as he shuddered slightly.

“I can work with that,” she smirked. Tapping his side, she jerked her head toward the top of the bed. “Move up.”

His brow raised in inquiry, but he did as she asked, scooting up till his back hit the headboard. She crawled up to straddle him, which didn’t end up being nearly as comfortable as she’d thought. It was possible, but she wouldn’t be able to stay in this position long. It would do for the moment however. 

Leaning forward, she started by peppering kisses across his face, an activity that seemed to amuse him, but he said nothing. As her lips moved to his neck, though, he became rather more vocal. Lilly was pleased to discover the rumbling in his chest had returned. She delicately traced her tongue over the leathery skin, causing him to gasp and dig his fingers in her hair.

“Damn,” he breathed, “turian women’s mouths aren’t nearly as talented.”

Lilly snickered against his skin. “You know, Vakarian, as much as I appreciate the compliment, it’s generally not proper etiquette to talk about past lovers in bed,” she teased.

“Sorry,” he replied softly, properly chastised. Lilly grinned and continued her ministrations. As her mouth lavished his neck, her hands began tracing and retracing the paths between his plates on his chest and waist. She was rewarded for her work by Garrus’ almost growling gasps. Her knees were starting to ache, but before she pulled back, she decided to try one more thing. Grinning against his neck, she trailed several more kisses before suddenly nipping down lightly. His reaction was immediate and intense. The hand in her hair spasmed, causing his talons to prick her scalp painfully, though it was easy to ignore. She heard a ripping sound she assumed was his other hand tearing fabric, and then he buck violently beneath her, forcing a out a gasp of her own. Apparently he’d come out of hiding.

“Wow...damn...sorry,” Garrus rasped, noticing his hand still in her hair and carefully extracting it. “You okay?”

“Nothing that won’t heal,” she grinned reassuringly. Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved back to sit on her heels and examine him. He was a bit larger than the average human man, but not alarmingly so. No, what really emphasized his alienness was the color...and the ridges. She hadn’t anticipated bright blue, but then, his blood was also blue, so it probably shouldn’t have been quite as surprising as it was. But the ridges...that was a delightful discovery.

Garrus shifted anxiously underneath her. Apparently she’d been caught staring again. She needed to work on that.

“Alright, my knees can’t take this anymore. Time to try something else,” she suggested, carefully shifting to sprawl out beside him on the bed. Ah, so that’s what ripped. One of the pillows was now, well, decidedly less fluffy. Garrus looked sheepish, but she just laughed, tossing it to the floor to deal with later. She started to reach out to explore this new member of his anatomy, but he caught her hand.

“Nope, my turn,” he growled seductively, sending shivers down her spine. Her brow raised skeptically, but she lay back to enjoy whatever he would attempt. He contemplated her body for several seconds, before she laughed lightly and took mercy on him.

“Here,” she whispered, grabbing his hand in a mirror of his actions earlier. Spreading her legs, she guided him to their apex, her hand over his to demonstrate what she liked while she explained. “This whole area is pretty sensitive, but there’s a little nub...here,” she gasp as she moved one of his fingers over it, “that is particularly so.”

He nodded in comprehension, eyes roving over her as she responded to his continued caresses. She let her eyes slide closed and was starting to feel a delicious build up when it was abruptly interrupted by a painful stab.

“Ah!” Her eyes flew open, and she shot up, her hand grabbing his to stopped him. Realizing what had happened, he quickly extracted his hand, eyes meeting her face apologetically.

“Damn, I keep messing up tonight,” he sighed. “I forgot to file my talons down. Stupid, careless mistake.”

She quirked her head curiously, as her hand cupped herself and tried to gently massage away the sting. “You file your talons?”

“Yeah. Most turians who spend a lot of time around other species do. Lowers the risk of accidentally injuring someone.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” She worried her lip, considering. “Well, lets just skip the foreplay for now. We can always try it another time.” 

His eyes widened at that suggestion. Did he think she wanted this to be a one time thing? Did he want it to? Deciding that was something to deal with later, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

“You get to be on top, though,” she grinned. “My knees still hurt.”

He recovered, and look down at her, pondering. “Um...ok.” He shifted and raised himself up. After a bit of maneuvering, he settled between her legs. She bit back a moan as he rubbed against her. As she forced her mind to focus, it became rapidly apparent that this was not going to work. His keel bone pushed painfully down on her chest and even if that hadn’t been a problem, this position provided maximum contact with every one of those chafe-inducing plates Mordin warned her about. Garrus seemed to realize the same thing, and was adjusting before she even said a word.

It took them a couple minutes of experimenting before Garrus discovered that by kneeling and hooking Lilly’s legs over his shoulders, he could get a good angle without hurting her. Lilly sighed with relief as he began nudging against her. She wanted this so badly. Gently she took him in her hand and started to guide him, but apparently they weren’t out of the woods yet. Because they’d basically skipped the foreplay, she was painfully dry. Scowling, beginning to get exasperated, with herself and the whole situation, she moved her legs off his shoulders and sat up.

She immediately felt guilty for her attitude when a brief look of panic crossed Garrus’ features.

“Don’t worry,” she breathed soothingly, stroking his mandible, “I’ll be right back.”

He looked relieved, so she rose and went searching for that box Mordin had sent up to her. She found it under her desk, buried beneath a number of files she was choosing to ignore. She opened it and began shuffling around. Where was that blasted stuff? Ah-ha! Victoriously she extracted a small bottle of lubricant and leapt down the steps to march triumphantly back to the bed. Garrus chuckled as he watched her and she paused a moment to admire the delicious tableau before her. He was sprawled, relaxed, naked, and very much aroused with an amused and confident grin on his face. It shot a pleasant tingling sensation through her and she shivered involuntarily. How he could manage to look like that after all their ridiculous fumbling and misstepping? Not that she was complaining.

Crawling back up the bed to join him, she compulsively pressed her lips to his mouth plates. She’d avoided it, wondering how weird a kiss would be to a species unfamiliar with it, but he didn’t seem to mind. She pulled back, smiling and he returned it, that gentle rumbling present once more. Flopping down beside him, she squirted some of the lubricant into her hand. He eyed it suspiciously, but followed her lead. She rub it on herself, then took him in her hand, making him gasp at the cool sensation. Once they were both sufficiently moist, she smirked suggestively at him.

“Round two?”

“With pleasure,” he agreed, eagerly. They rearranged themselves, and she took him in her hand once more. “Ready?” he breathed.

With her consent and guiding hand, he slowly entered her. A mutual groan of appreciation echoed in the room. _Finally._

He felt absolutely wonderful: amazingly warm and those ridges! Lilly whimpered as he pulled out slightly, then moaned loudly as he pressed firmly back into her, leaning over her, resting some of his weight on her legs. This shifted her hips so he sunk in even deeper, and she mewled softly at the change. Taking her sounds as encouragement, Garrus repeated his actions again, this time a little faster.

Lilly’s eyes rolled back in her head and clutched at the blanket behind her. As he continued to glide in and out of her, she concluded her hands could be put to better uses. On quested down to right above where he was moving in her, and she slowly began massaging the nub he’d painfully accosted earlier. Her other hand went to her breast, plucking and tweaking at her nipple.

His rumbling had picked up and had evolved into more of a growl; it was doing spectacular things to her nethers. A wave of pleasure started building up, and she worked vigorously to help it along. She was almost there, could feel the crescendo about to wash over her when...

Garrus gasped, spasmed, and slumped over her. A variety of colorful expletives scrolled through her mind, but she bit her lip to hold them back.

“Dammit!” That did _not_ come from her. Her eyes slowly opened to take in the man above her, and she immediately felt bad for being angry with him. Garrus looked immensely embarrassed and amply irked with himself. Gently, he slid out of her and flopped onto the bed beside her. “Damn, Lilly. I’m so sorry,” he breathed, looking anywhere but at her.

Already resigned to the fact that tonight was just not her night, she set about recovering what was more important. She took his face tenderly in her hand and turned him to meet her eyes.

“Hey, it’s ok. It happens. And this is all new for both of us.”

He snorted derisively but looked slightly mollified.

“I turn into a damn juvenile around you,” he griped softly, jokingly. She chuckled.

“Glad to know I make you feel young again, old man.”

His brow arched dramatically.

“Old man? Is that right?” When she simply continued to grin at him, he rolled his eyes, which was an incredibly strange expression on a turian. Where had he picked that up? “Well, I guess you’re pretty lucky this old turian’s hands don’t shake when he’s saving you from husks.”

“Pfft..save me? Whatever. I’m pretty sure I was the one saving your ass, Vakarian.” She laughed haughtily.

Patting her head condescendingly, he chuckled, “Whatever you say.”

Now she was the one to roll her eyes, but she couldn’t help the grin that insisted on staying plastered on her face. She dropped back down on the bed, looking up at him. He’d rolled over to lay on his side, facing her, his head propped in his hand, and behind his laughing eyes, she could see an almost suffocating tenderness. He was truly an amazing man.

“So...” he drawled, “night to remember or horrible interspecies awkwardness?”

He tried to play it off, but she could pick up on the underlying anxiety in the question. Keeping her tone light, she snickered.

“Both.”

“Both?”

“Yup, we’re breaking all the boundaries tonight.”

His hearty laughter filled the room, and it was a beautiful sound.


End file.
